UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION M i d - C o n t i n e nt T u r f l e t t er No. 3 June - 1959 D R. M A R V IN H. F E R G U S ON MID-CONTINENT DIRECTOR NATIONAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR J A M ES L. H O L M ES MID-WESTERN AGRONOMIST J A M ES B. M O N C R I EF SOUTHWESTERN AGRONOMIST M I D - W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT ROOM 241, LASALLE HOTEL CHICAGO 2. ILLINOIS TELEPHONE: STATE 2 - 7 4 85 S O U T H W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT TEXAS A &M COLLEGE COLLEGE STATION. TEXAS TELEPHONE: VICTOR 6 - 5 2 10 K KK #* K TT-K- ** X # X ** KK # ## * TTTT * K * * * -X- # TT ## TT * * * TF- * TT TT* ** X XX *X X * TF- TT TF-* * # John Arrowood * TT * * * * * John Arrowood, President of the Central Plains Turf Foundation and * * Superintendent at Hickory Hills Country Club, Springfield, Missouri * * died on May 14, 1959. John had been ill for several months. * * was held in high esteem by his fellow superintendents. The Central * * * Plains Turfgrass Foundation Newsletter said of him, "In addition * to being one of the best superintendents in the region John gave * * unselfishly of his time and energy to raise the standards of his * profession. He brought out the best in a grass, in a meeting and * in a man. He will be missed, but we count it a privilege to have * known and worked with John Arrowood these too few years." * He * * X X -K- TT # * * * K TF- K X * X K X X K # * X X TF X X X * * K * X X * * K X # X- # X- X X * * # * * * •><- * * # * X # K X -X- X- TF- X- TT # X K SOME THOUGHTS'ON TRAFFIC DAMAGE Damage to turf probably is due more to traffic on the soil than to actual wear on the grass plant. When the cup is left in one location until wear begins to show up around it, serious damage to soil structure has already been done. Damage to the grass plant can be overcome by a period of time favorable to growth; damage to the soil structure is quite difficult to overcome. The kind of shoe sole that is worn is much less important than the manner in which it is worn. Traffic pushes healthy grass blades down against the underlying mat. The healthy grass blades are bruised at the same time they are pressed against the soil and against the dead and decaying material below. It is difficult to conceive of a more effective technique for inoculating leaves with disease producing organisms. Compacted soils hold moisture at the surface. Shallow rooted plants such as Poa annua thrive on surface moisture. Did you ever notice that the area of the green on which the cup is most frequently placed is the area most seriously infested with Poa annua? The growth of algae is another consequence of a wet soil surface. Increasing traffic will make us increasingly aware of the pounds per square inch exerted by wheel traffic as well as by foot traffic. Apparently, our worries about the effects of traffic are shared by turf growers in other parts of the world. The following paragraphs are quoted from the Sports Turf Bulletin, No. 4-5 April, May, June, 1959, published at Bingley, Yorkshire, England: "Surface compaction on green fronts has also increased with the advent of the trolley. Participants of four ball matches regularly park their trolleys side by side on the front of a green, hole out and then all re- turn to the same spot to collect their trolleys. This is all additional wear on the green front. The concentration of this 'to and from the pin wear, which in pre-trolley days was fairly well spread, has probably been doubled since their introduction. 1 "The spreading of traffic is the obvious answer to reduce the patch effect on the turf. It is to be hoped this can be done without the construction of metal road surfaces and the erection of traffic signs which would not add to the beauty of any course! Many Greenkeepers, however, may be of the opinion that the introduction of parking meters within a certain distance of the greens might be a good idea! "Where this additional wear is taking place efforts should be made to produce a harder wearing turf. This is probably best done by removing the worms from the areas and top dressing with a sharp lime free sand, coke breeze or charcoal to improve the porosity of the soil. Mowing should not be done too closely and plenty of aeration is required. 'Feeding' is also necessary during the season to increase the vigour of the sward. "Once damage has teen done re-turfing or renovation by seeding is necessary. The success of these operations depends on the removal of the cause of the damage. Renovated areas must be protected and the trolley traffic diverted until re-establishment is completed." mmii;mmmm Willie Smith of Red Run Honored Superintendent Willie Smith of Red Run Golf Club, Royal Oak, Michigan was honored with a "day" recently. He was presented a life membership in the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and a microscope. Mr. Smith has been at Red Run since 1920. Observations by Al Radko The 195S season was an unusual one in the Northeast. Al Radko, Eastern Director of the USGA Green Section, offered a summation of lessons learned during such a year in a speech delivered at the University of Massachusetts during the annual turfgrass conference. Because of the fact that these observations are equally applicable to much of the Mid-Continent Region, Mr. Radko s summary statements f are listed here: "1. Permanent grasses are slow to respond in early season when temperatures are low and soils are cool. During such seasons, it is safer to keep grasses on hungry side. Try iron sulphate treatments to help provide color, and consider leaf feeding (liquid fertilizer) when soils are cool. Each must be light treatments. 2. Water is not the entire answer to color, nor good turfgrass production. 3. Good drainage is the foundation on which good permanent turf is produced. U* In wet, cool seasons, normal fertilizer programs must be altered. 5. In wet, humid seasons, normal fungicide programs must be altered. 6. Micro-organisms do not operate efficiently in wet, cool soils. 7. Problems of fairway irrigation caught up with many courses — unwatered fairways showed to advantage. 8. Observation and judgement on the part of the superintendent is most important to a sound program of maintenance and management." FIELD DAY DATES •' I- • » • July 22 - Texas Turf Association Field Day - Texas ASM College College Station, Texas September 14-15 - Midwest Regional Turf Foundation Field Day Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana September 29 - St. Louis District Field Day Sponsored by St. Louis District Golf Association and Mississippi Valley Golf Course Superintendents Association Mid-Continent Turf letter USGA GREEN SECTION B U LK R A TE U.S. POSTAGE PAID College Station, Texas Permit No. 80 R # # Watson, Jr i)r/*J Chief Agronomist Toro Mfg. Corporation Minneapolis 6, Minn. #